Sixteen Bells
by luna moody
Summary: It's Freddie's birthday and a certain Blonde someone has been noticably absent. Where has she been, why wasn't she at the party, and what will happen when he finally finds her. All this and more will be revealed inside.


**Here I am again, as usual, a day (or two) late and a dollar short. Well we're not discussing money but whatever. THIS SWEET LITTLE ONE SHOT is a birthday gift for the loverly seddie-loving Kyleigh17. Happy Birthday Girl!!!! And Happy Birthday to Mr. Nathan Kress (not that he'd read this, but...whatever). So what about it? It's Freddie's birthday, too, His 16th and the blond demon is nowhere around. Where is she and what happens when he actually finds her?**

**Disclaimer: We all know the characters aren't mine, so just go read the story already, will ya? Scoot!**

* * *

He should have known when she called him over for an "iCarly tech emergency," and the house was dark. Actually, he should have known simply because it was just like Carly to do something like this. Still, when he opened the door to apartment 8C the night before his 16th birthday, and was met with the voices of 50 friends all yelling "SURPRISE", Freddie truely was shocked. Carly beamed as she emerged from a curtain of balloons and dragged him into the room. His friends took turns giving him pats on the back and lots of welcomed hugs from the girls.

It wasn't long before the party was in full swing. Amid the music and the masses of people, nobody noticed Sam sneak through the back door and up the stairs to Carly's bathroom. She was late, and she was a mess. Her hair was drenched from the sudden downpour she got caught in, her mascara had smeared all over her eyes, and her clothes were covered in various food items and nasty, stinky vomit. She was in no condition to see anyone like this! As it was, she had to hold her hoodie over her nose the whole bus ride here. The best she could hope for was to borrow some clothes from Carly, and clean herself up a bit.

Freddie was having fun dancing and playing games. It didn't go totally unnoticed to him, though that one particular party guest was missing. He was just finishing a game of "Battle of the Bands," with his AV club friends, when Spencer rolled out the cake. While everyone was making their way over toward the dining room to sing and watch Freddie blow out candles, Sam used the distraction to join the others. She pulled the hood up on the hoodie she borrowed from Carly to hide the fact that she still had dried globs chocolate shake still stuck in it. She elbowed her way past Gibby and a couple A/V geeks so she'd be sure to get a good look at Freddorks face.

Freddie blushed through the crowd's horrible rendition of 'Happy Birthday" and closed his eyes before blowing out his candles. He grabbed the knife and held it above his head yelling, "Who wants cake?" Sam pushed her way toward the door and waited behind the wall while Freddie cut the cake and Carly made up plates for the guests.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Carly." He pulled her into a grateful hug. "It was really awesome of you to go to so much trouble for me."

"Aww, you're so worth it," Carly giggled. "Besides, I had a lot of help."

"Yeah, Spencer's been awesome." He laughed. "Everyone loves your brother!"

"Well, yeah." Carly chuckled. "But, I was talking about Sam."

"Sam?" He scoffed. "You don't have to make excuses for her."

"Yes, Sam!" Carly smiled. "The whole party was actually her idea."

"No doubt so she could get free cake."

"Freddie!" Carly said shocked.

"What?" Freddie looked at Carly with a look of confused innocence. "She's made no secret of the fact that she hates me. She says it all the time."

"But you know she's just kidding!"

"I mean, I thought so, but…" Freddie shrugged.

"Come on Freddie! You _know_ she'd your friend. She just does things to get you going. It's just a game to her."

"Some game," Freddie laughed dryly. "Anyway, seems to me that if I was that important to her, she'd have at least shown up. It's not every day you turn 16."

"I know she's been kind of distracted lately, but you _are_ important to her." Carly said urgently. "She promised she'd be here no matter what."

Freddie spun and took a quick glance around the room. "Then where is she, huh? She's been very scarce around here for the past 6 weeks, Carly. She comes late for the show, barely makes it for rehearsal, and she hasn't been around after school like normal either. Don't pretend you haven't noticed!"

Carly stood there looking at him, dumbfounded.

"I know, maybe the store is having a sale on meat by products, or maybe the circus rolled into town and she's having a family reunion, huh?" Freddie mocked.

Sam stood listening to his tirade. She should have just burst in there and rub his nose in it, but for some reason she was frozen. Her feet were rooted to the spot. She knew she was harsh on him, but is this the way he really felt? She already had a bad enough night, and now one of her best friends believes she really hates him?

"Do me a favor, Carly?" Freddie asked, finally finishing the subject. "Please don't get me excited over Sam anymore." Carly looked up at his sad eyes. "It's already disappointing enough when she does things like this to me, I don't need you adding to it." He gave her a sad half smile. "That would be the best birthday present you could give me."

Sam couldn't stand there any more. The room was making her claustrophobic. She needed to get out and get some air. She pushed her way past the crowd and out the front door, leaving a room full of laughter behind her.

* * *

It was 11:30 and Freddie was gathering his gifts together while Spencer was seeing the last of the party guests out the door.

"Wait," Gibby stalled at the door. "Can I just have one more piece of cake before I go?"

"Sorry Gibby," Carly laughed as she packed up the remaining slices. "There's only a few pieces left, and they're going to Freddie and his mom, and Sam."

"Well, why didn't Sam just have hers when she was here?" Gibby frowned.

"She wasn't here," Freddie frowned.

"Yeah she was!" Gibby shrugged. "I mean, she was dressed a little funny, but she came down the stairs and pushed me out of the way to sing 'Happy Birthday.'"

Carly and Freddie gave each other a confused look.

"Well did you see her after that?" Spencer asked

"Nope."

"But you're sure it was her?"

"You want me to show you the bruise she left when she elbowed me in the ribs?" Gibby started to lift up his shirt, but Spencer immediately pushed past him and to the kitchen.

"Alright, Gibby!" Spencer grabbed a piece of the cake. "It's yours if you leave now!" Spencer crushed the cake into Gibby's chest, and shoved him out the door.

"Do you think?" Carly looked quizzically toward the upper floor.

"Don't, Carly." Freddie frowned. "I _think_ maybe Gibby just wanted cake." He finished stacking all of the presents in one spot. "Do you care if I get these tomorrow? It's kind of late."

"No, It's cool." She handed Freddie the remaining pieces of cake. "You did have a good time though?"

"It was awesome." He gave her a genuine smile. "Thanks guys for everything."

Spencer gave him a big pat on the back as he walked out the door. "Hey, Happy Birthday, Freddie."

He didn't have to worry about coming in quietly. His mom was out late again for the third time this week. He threw his keys on the counter and placed the slices of cake in the fridge for later.

He padded his way into his bedroom, pulled off his over shirt and tossed it over toward the hamper. That's when he noticed it. A small green box with a gold ribbon was nestled against the pillows of his neatly made bed. It wasn't from his mom, she was going to give him her gift when they went to dinner tomorrow. Only one other person he knew could have left it there for him. He picked it up and gave it a little shake. Whatever it was, it was heavy.

He sat down on the end of the bed and unwrapped the present. It was a Pear Pod; something he'd been without since Sam used his to bang open a can of triple beef tamales almost 2 months ago. His old Pear Pod was 4 years old; this one was a definite upgrade. 64 gigabyte, touch screen and records video. He ran his fingers across the shiny black screen and smiled as he watched it whir to life. He flipped it over and read the inscription on the back. His favorite quote from Galaxy Wars."The Power is in YOU, Young Novitate", and followed by "Geek to the Core!"_ Yeah, it's from Sam_, he thought.

He checked the box for a card, but there wasn't one. The only thing in the box was a little sticky note that said. _Play the first video_. With his better than average tech skills, he quickly found the video section and played the first selection. It was a video of Sam.

She was dressed in a simple t-shirt and looked like she did most every other day of her life. She was wearing a large goofy grin as she shouted "Happy Birthday Fredworm! I got you this gift because…Well, not because I like you or anything, just…sorry for what I did to your last one."This was more than Freddie ever expected, or imagined from her. "Oh," she jumped in one last time before the video ended. "and if you loan this out to me or anyone else, I will personally give you a wedgie so deep, your grandchildren will feel it. Happy Birthday Benson!" She gave a sweet smile before she clicked off the video.

Freddie chuckled for a moment then sighed. He was starting to feel bad about his earlier comments. He shouldn't have second-guessed her like that, but he couldn't understand what was so important that she wouldn't have been there for the party. Even if she did hate him, it was still a party. He started skimming through the rest of the player. Sam had preloaded it with 500 songs, 16 games and 35 videos…including all of the Galaxy Wars. _It must have cost a small fortune for all of this._ He thought.

He opened the music files and played the first song that was there. The lyrics were all too familiar, and his memory started to playback along with the music.

Did I tell you I knew your name  
But it seems that I've lost it  
Did I tell you it's my own game  
This is not your problem

Suddenly he knew where she'd be. He grabbed a couple of the extra blankets his mom kept in his closet and headed out to the balcony, making a brief stop in the kitchen for the cake and a fork.

He could just make out her figure curled in the chair facing the stone railing. There was a definite chill in the November air, and she had fallen asleep huddled against the cold. He pulled up another chair near her and threw a blanket over top of her. She stirred a little bit in her chair and snuggled into its warmth.

"Thanks." She said groggily. "It was starting to get pretty cold."

Freddie held up the PearPod and smiled.

"You like it?" She smiled back.

"Like it?" He shook his head trying to find the words. "It's…I'm…I'm speechless. It's really amazing. Thank you."

"Well, I figured I owed you."

"Not like this." He raised his eyebrows, still in amazement. "How did you afford all this?"

"Hey! I bet you didn't ask any of your other guests about where their gifts came from!" Sam groused.

"Well, most people I wouldn't have to worry about." He defended. "Besides, you weren't at the party, so technically you couldn't actually be called a guest."

"Well technically, you should just say thank you and mind your own business about where it came from." She added in a crotchety tone. "Yeesh, Benson. Figured your mother would've taught you better manners."

Freddie opened his mouth to argue back, but he quickly closed it again. He could see this would be an endless round of arguing if he didn't stop it now. "Thank you, Sam. It was very generous of you."

"Much better." She nodded. "And you're welcome."

They sat back and basked in the hum of the city below. After several minutes sitting in silence, Sam finally asked. "So how was the party?"

"It was really fun." He chuckled. "I think I danced with every girl there, and won 2 of 4 rounds of Battle of the Bands." He broke off into a strained silence for a moment.

"Carly said you're the one to thank for all of it, that the party was your idea." He gave a melancholy smile. "Where were you, Sam?"

Sam let out a huge sigh and snuggled into the blankets farther. "I just had a really bad night. I'm sorry I missed it."

"I'm not just talking about tonight." He turned to face her. "I mean, yeah, you weren't there tonight, but you've been sort of missing for weeks!"

"What, you miss the torture or something?"

"Sam!"

"Just…" She dropped her head back and rubbed her face in frustration. "Fine! I have…had…a job, Ok?"

"A job?" Freddie asked, slightly surprised. "Where?"

"Jimmie's Awesome Pizza," She sneered.

"You mean that place that has the pizza parties?"

"Uh-huh."

"And all those games?"

"Uh-huh."

"And the rides?"

"Uh-huh."

"And the million little kids screaming and running around?"

"Uh-huh."

"I thought you hated kids!"

"Uh-huh."

"But," Freddie shook his head in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I wanted your birthday to be special, so I wanted to get you that thing." She said pointing to his Pear Pod.

"Sam," He sat staring at the player in disbelief. "You didn't have to do that, why would you put…"

"Because I know you don't think I…" She interrupted. "Because of what you said to Carly in the kitchen tonight."

She watched the confused look grow on his face. "You _were_ there?" He watched as she nodded. "And you heard me say that I thought that you didn't care." He hung his head embarrassed. "Oh."

"It's not true," she said weakly. "It's just that you do so much for Carly, and the show…and me. I kind of wanted to show you that I…you know."

"And instead, I got my feelings hurt like a little baby." He pulled at his hair, obviously angry with himself.

"Dude," She pulled his hand away from his head. "You're 16 now. You'll probably start going bald soon enough, no need to help it along."

They both chuckled at the tension breaker. "You know Sam, I'm probably going to regret saying this…but I think I'd rather have you around than this thing."

"Well, cheese, Now you tell me!" Sam raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Anyway, I don't think you'll have a problem with that anymore."

"Wait, you said _had_ a job. You got fired?" Freddie asked shocked.

"Fired…Quit." Sam shrugged. "I'm not sure which really. I just know that they'll probably call the cops if I ever show up there again."

"What Happened?" Freddie tried not to chuckle.

"Well," She shifted to a more comfortable position in her chair. "I went in for an early shift so that I'd be out on time for the party. The manager stuck me working the worst possible party…kids throwing food, puking on rides, I stunk and I was tired and all I could think about was finishing up and getting here to help Carly set up for tonight. So finally, my nightmare assignment left, and then my boss has the nerve to tell me that someone else called in sick, so he was putting me on their shift too. I told him that I couldn't stay, that I had somewhere else to be, but he locked my things in his office and was refusing to let them out until the next party left."

Freddie's eyes turned wide, "Uh-oh, Sam. What did you do to him?"

"Let's just say that he learned: if he's walking away from me while I'm trying to talk to him, it's best not to go through speedway." She smiled.

"You ran him over?!" Freddie laughed.

"Ran him over and parked on him until he gave me the key." She said over top of his raucous laughter. "Anyway, that's why I wasn't there. I was extremely late, and a huge mess by the time I arrived."

"Ah, man. Wow…" He said as his laughter started to die down. "Well the least you can do is make it up to me."

She twisted her head around and looked at him as if he had just sprouted antlers. "Serious Benson?"

"Absolutely!" He smiled. "My goal was to dance with every girl at the party tonight, so the least you can do is give me one dance."

"No." She rolled her eyes. "The _least_ I can do is keep my fancy butt right here in this nice cozy blanket and chair."

"Aww, come on!" He coaxed. "This Pear Pod has a built in speaker. It'll give me a chance to try it out." Sam let out a loud groan. "I'll give you cake!"

Her head perked up at the sound of that. "You brought me cake?"

"No." He smiled coyly as he got up and headed toward the open floor. "I brought me cake, but I'd be willing to share." He speared through a chunk with his fork and shoved it into his mouth. "Oh, this is sooo good!"

Sam threw the covers off and jumped over to him before he even finished his bite. "Gimme cake!"

"Uh-uh," he teased. "You have to dance with me if you want it."

"Oh forget it," she huffed. "It's probably not even that…" he didn't even wait for her to finish speaking before he shoved a fork full in her mouth. "OMG…that is so good!"

She grabbed for the plate but he pulled it out of her reach. "Dance, then eat." He smiled.

She looked at him calculatingly, and then back at the cake. "How about dance _and_ eat?" Freddie narrowed his eyes in contemplation. "Look, I'm only being this nice because it's your birthday. I could just knock you out and take the whole thing myself."

"Ok." He gave in. "Dance _and_ eat it is." He put the cake on the stair behind him and pulled out the Pear Pod. "What'll it be?"

Sam shrugged her shoulders, still eyeing the cake behind him. "How bout we let shuffle decide."

"Good idea," Freddie said as he clicked the wheel to shuffle. He turned up the volume and set the player next to the cake. A slow tempo song started up and the both turned to look at the player.

"Uh, I didn't…" Freddie stammered.

"Whatever, just…" Sam stepped up next to him and awkwardly placed her arms around his neck. He reached to put his hands around her waist. "Wait!" She stopped. "Another bite?"

He spooned off another piece and plopped it into her mouth before dropping the fork onto the plate, and resting his hand on her waist again. "Good?" He smiled.

Sam had her eyes closed so savor the bite, but vigorously nodded her head. Once she swallowed she looked back into his eyes. She was suddenly very aware of her breathing and the way his thumb played against her the small of her back. The song was some generic song about finding love. She really had no idea how it found it's way onto the collection, but now suddenly here they were.

She could hear the bells from St. Marks chiming in the distance. "So now it's official. Happy Birthday, Freddie." She wasn't sure if it was her complete exhaustion, or the way the moonlight bounced off of his eyelashes, but she suddenly had the urge to visit a place they had been before. "You know, they say it's bad luck if you don't get kissed on your 16th birthday."

"Really?" Freddie looked at her quizzically. "I never heard that."

"Yeah, even more important than the candles on the cake!" She wasn't sure if she had heard it, or if it was just a convenient excuse. "Well you wouldn't want to take any chances would you?" She saw his curious eyes suddenly widen in expectation. "Close your eyes, Benson."

He did as he was instructed and closed his eyes. The sound of the music and the chiming bells disappeared as she placed her lips on his in a gentle kiss. It was tender and sweet, and better than she remembered. He inhaled and pulled her closer, and she realized it was something she had been waiting a long time to repeat. The electricity that was strong between them finally let her go, as she was suddenly aware of the echo of the last chime of the bell.

"Oh Crab!" She jumped back.

"I'm sorry!" He apologized frantically. "It's just that you said to close my eyes, and…"

"No. Not that!" She said confused. "That was…" she let out a happy sigh, but then concern grew on her face again. "It's after 12. There's no more busses home, and Carly's probably already asleep. I'm stuck!"

"Oh." Freddie chuckled, slightly relieved that it had nothing to do him. He scooped up another forkful of cake and held it out to her lips. "I think I may have a solution." He said as he quirked his eyebrow.

"You do huh?" She crossed her arms, but leaned forward to take the bite of cake.

"Mm hmm." Freddie smiled a he took the last mouthful of cake. "You see, now that I'm 16, I'm probably going to be doing a lot of things that I've never done before."

Sam looked at him curiously. Not quite sure where this was going.

"I've never slept outside before. I'm thinking maybe I could sleep out here, on the balcony…and maybe you'd like to keep me company. In your own chair of course." He quickly amended. "But like maybe my partner in this little adventure. Hmm?"

He sheepishly looked at her trying to gage her reaction. "I'll grab a pillow for each of us and leave a note for my mom. I just really want to be here when the sun comes up…And if it gets too bad, you can have my bed, and I'll sleep on the couch."

Sam slowly walked toward him. He braced himself for any blow that she might send his direction, but she gently reached up and brushed a few crumbs away from his chin. "One more condition, Benson." Freddie looked at her suspiciously. "You're cooking breakfast in the morning. Got it?"

He knew it was more of a command than a request, but he had absolutely no problem with that. "It would be my pleasure." He grabbed the cake plate and headed back through the window.

When he returned, Sam had pulled his chair next to her and snuggled back into her blanket. He readjusted the blanket to cover her better, then threw the second blanket over top of the both of them. He snuggled into the chair and his head rested against hers. "Goodnight, Puckett." He watched the cars pass along the boulevard below until the hum of the city, and her soft breathing next to him, finally lulled him to sleep. 16 was going to be a good year.

* * *

**Here I am at the end again to say...The End? Thank you for reading Sixteen Bells today. Please exit the fic carefully through the green box at the bottom and please remember to take all your belongings with you. Wow, these are short A/N's. Until next time. (I seriously need to go back to some funny. Do you agree?)**


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